ETHIOPIA: THE SIMIEN MOUNTAINS

15 days from GBP1,713 to GBP1,853 including flights

Tripcode: TYE

Itinerary

Day 1: Depart London Heathrow in the evening for the flight to Addis Ababa.
Day 2: Arrive Addis Ababa; transfer to the hotel. Those on Land Only arrangements will meet the group at the hotel in the morning. After freshening up we have an afternoon's sightseeing tour that takes us to the Ethnographic Museum and the Church of the Trinity where Haile Selassies' remains now lie.
Day 3: We have a spectacular flight to Gondar. From the air we see the extraordinary nature of the Ethiopian plateau, cut again and again by immensely deep gorges. Gondar was once the capital of Ethiopia and in the afternoon we visit the castles, which were built in the 17th and 18th centuries by several generations of Ethiopia's kings. Nearby is the Debre Birhan Selassie church with its sensational angelic ceiling, and the bathhouse of Fasil at which thousands of Ethiopians celebrate Timkat festival every January. Our hotel is up on a cliff top with wonderful views over looking the town.
Day 4: We travel by road the 105 kilometres to the small town of Debark, the nearest roadhead to the Simien National Park. There is little time to explore the area while the guides prepare the equipment and mules for the trek. From Debark, walking largely uphill, the landscape suddenly opens onto a picturesque valley dotted with mud hut houses, horses and livestock. We walk to Buyit Ras, entrance to the park, and camp close to the edge of the escarpment. There are spectacular views across the range from here.
Day 5: Walking near small settlements and villages we have fine views across the lowlands and the Simien plateau. We pass Sankabar before continuing to Geech (3,600m). En route we see a stunning waterfall, cascading through a hole in the rock, it falls 500 metres to the bottom of the gorge and is particularly impressive after the rainy season (by Christmas the waterfall may not be visible). The last 2 hours of the day involve a steep climb up to our campsite, where we stay for two nights (approx 10 hours walking).
Day 6: A spectacular day - in the morning we walk to Imetgogo (3,926m). Situated at the end of a long ridge, which disappears on either side to the lowlands below, there are outstanding views of the gorge and mountain range and it is easy to understand why the striking formations have been described as 'the chess pieces of the Gods'. We should get our first glimpse of Ras Dashen from here and we can see clearly our route for the coming days. If we haven't already encountered them, there is a good chance of seeing the indigenous Gelada, also known as the 'bleeding heart' Baboon or Lion monkey. The Gelada is in fact neither baboon or monkey but the last remaining species of a branch of high altitude, grass eating primates that have all but vanished from the face of the earth. We return to the same camp and enjoy an afternoon at rest.
Day 7: Another wonderful walk � heading in the same direction as yesterday we soon branch off to reach the edge of the escarpment which we follow to the top, Inatye (4070m). The dramatic views continue all the way down to our camp at Chennek.
Day 8: A memorable but hard day's trekking of ascents and descents as we make our way from Chennek to Ambiko (approx 9-10 hours walking). We should see birds like the Crowned Scraper Thrush, Siskins, Falcons and Kestrel. Today is also our best chance of seeing the rare and endangered Walia Ibex, a species that can only be found in the Simien National Park. From Chennek we climb to a pass at 4,200m and from here the fit and energetic may like to continue on a further hour up to the summit of Bwahit at 4,430m. Otherwise from the pass we have a big drop down to the Mershea River at 2850m, via the village of Chiro Leba, where we may be able to visit the school and small clinic (if open). From the river we ascend 350m to our camp, where we spend 2 nights at Ambiko.
Day 9: An ascent of Ras Dashen before returning to Ambiko. This day is the longest day of the trek. It may take up to twelve hours climbing 1350m to the summit. Ras Dashen has 3 peaks and we climb to the middle highest peak � the roof of Ethiopia and the fourth highest mountain in the whole of Africa. The view from the peak is absolutely fantastic.
Day 10: Another challenging day, although not as difficult as the previous one! From Ambiko we trek to the superbly positioned camp at Sona. After plenty of ups and downs we might be able to stop for some local coffee in the small village of Arquaziye before continuing to camp (approx 10 hours walking).
Day 11: A much easier day! We descend into the lowlands. Our day begins with a 1,100m descent into the Ansiya valley, where we have a relaxed lunch break by the cool flowing river, giving us a welcome opportunity for a swim and a wash. We then move onto our camp, near the village of Mekarebya. This is an excellent day for birding and there are very good views up to the Simien Mountains and the areas where we have recently trekked.
Day 12: From our camp we drop 350m, to where we have another long idyllic lunch spot with more swimming opportunities, this time in a lagoon formed by a waterfall. The final 2 hours of the day involve a hot 400m of ascent, to our final campsite at Mulit. Here we have fantastic views all around us.
Day 13: Our final day's walking! 2.5 hours to Adiarkai from where we drive, via Debark to Gondar (approx 6 hours driving), for a much deserved wash and rest!
Day 14: There is time to relax and explore in Gondar before we fly back to Addis. There may be the chance to visit the Mercato, the largest open market in Africa to do some last minute shopping. If not, there are plenty of shops throughout Addis that we can visit.
Day 15: We take a morning flight back to London, arriving in the evening.